


Fitz Smash!

by guitarrat



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 17:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5975092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guitarrat/pseuds/guitarrat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma is just getting back into the swing of working in the lab post-Maveth when Daisy joins her and Fitz with a secret agenda to brighten Jemma's day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fitz Smash!

There was hardly ever down time at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, and that seemed more true than ever now that Jemma Simmons was back in the lab-full time since returning from the hell planet Maveth. She could tell Bobbi had done more than her fair share of hours in the lab while she was missing. It didn't surprise her in the least how the work had accrued over time, though, since the lab had been fine-tuned around Jemma's personal system. Clever though Bobbi had amply proved, the intricacies of the flow of the lab had rattled a bit loose under her care.

Jemma had only the briefest thought that she might be a control freak before she dismissed it entirely, rolled up the sleeves of her lab coat and began another round of cleaning and corralling the lab paraphernalia into their prescribed locations. The world just sat better with her when everything was tucked away where it should be like stars in their constellations.

Fitz was basically the only person who had a reliable grasp of how his lab partner/best friend/unrequited love prescribed that the lab should be organized for peak efficiency, but she didn't dare pull him away from his own projects at present. Her disappearance had caused a buildup of work for him as well since he had devoted his attention nearly exclusively to every sliver of a clue as to how to bring her home. Now, if only she could discreetly get that point across to Daisy.

Jemma tried to be understanding that the core team viewed  her as family and wanted to renew connections now that she was emerging from the durable, isolating shell she had developed to survive the harsh realities of the nearly ceaseless night. She was even genuinely happy that they knew her well enough to respect that they could achieve a comforting level of togetherness without the need for constant inane chattering.

Daisy seemed on board with that unspoken rule when she sauntered into the lab mid-morning with her laptop and said with a smile that she'd like to join them. She claimed a small end of the counter where she would not be underfoot and seemed to just enjoy the companionship for all of about 20 minutes before the mild conversation began.

It started out small and fairly relevant. Daisy looked up and nodded towards the closest lab computer inquiring, "Hey, do you guys need any upgrades?" 

To someone who knew Fitz as well as Jemma does, the sheer amount of Scottish burr that slipped out with his reply of,  "mmm..... I don' think so, “practically screamed that he had basically forgotten Daisy was there and he was caught off guard at having the door to conversation opened while he was mid-thought.

Daisy glance towards Jemma who merely smiled and shook her head no.

The lithe hacker hardly paused before expanding her line of questioning.  "How about any peripherals I could look into acquiring for you? Need any new gadgets? Latest 3D printer? Smaller, more powerful tablets?"

Jemma pasted on her best grateful smile and reassured her, "Really, I am delighted just to be working on modern technology again after dealing with a dinosaur practically as old as I am," referencing the antique NASA computer she had trudged away on while charting their location relative to the visible celestial bodies and tracked the locations where the portals opened. At the time it had seemed like a vast improvement over scratching calculations into the sand.

Daisy jumped right onto that reply with, "Seriously, I think I have used soda machines with more robust processing power than what you described. But I only give these computers another 6 months before they could be classified as antiques too.” She shook her head and zeroed in on her screen once again.

Both of the scientists in the room had focused back on their work and essentially forgotten the conversation until their dark-haired companion swiveled towards Fitz with a gleam in her eye and enquired of him, “Fitz, if you could choose, would you rather work on unpowered gliders or big jets?” And without stopping to let him begin to answer, she added on, “and can you fly?”

He arched a brow at her, as if his work on the Bus should make the answer obvious, but humored her just the same. “I like big jets but I cannot fly. Tho I prob’ly could if I’d try.”

“Does it feel like you’re a pilot when you’re controlling the DWARFs?”

Jemma fell right into old habits and chimed in before Daisy’s words had cleared the air, “Well I guess you’d say drones are itty bitty planes but you’re standing in one place, concentrating on a controller and not getting any sensory feedback from gravity and G forces.”

Daisy, who’d turned to hear Jemma’s input, twisted back to face Fitz. Jemma started to wonder at the stiffness of her movements. Perhaps Daisy’s powers were causing her muscular tension or joint stiffness? Or had the younger woman suffered an injury unrelated to her powers while she was on Maveth? Before she could follow that train of thought, Daisy was asking with an air of innocence, “Flying jets sounds more exhilarating. The drones sounds like more work and less fun.”

Oh, Fitz couldn’t contain his enthusiasm about his pet project now and was quick to shoot back, “They are fun! But in the strictest sense they’re meant to be tools rather than toys.”

He looked like he was about to start on a classroom-worthy lecture when Daisy smoothly cut him off, “I guess that’s when artistry is achieved- when you get form and function.”

Fitz beamed a bit at that, and Jemma would have sworn the conversation was taking on a bizarre tone of flirting except that Daisy dropped her head back to her laptop without another word, put in her ear buds and assumed a look of concentration. Had she imagined it? Perhaps she still had a ways to go before her own socializing skills were back up to snuff. Fortunately she did not feel obligated to rush herself to be more outgoing, and her absorbing science was a fantastic insulator when she need a little bit of buffer from her work family. She had drifted automatically back towards her microscope as she mulled these thoughts around and just set right back to work when she realized she was back in front of it.

Amiable silence permeated the lab as the three each got lost in their respective business. Keyboards tapped. Slides were exchanged, viewed and reordered. Notes were taken. Feet shuffled. Caffeinated beverages were sipped. The productive hum was warm and gratifying like clean blanket, fresh from the dryer.

The scientists literally jumped in startlement when Daisy squealed out a delighted laugh and clapped her hands, glee evident on her face. She scooped up her laptop and trotted over towards Jemma. Only when she saw how she’d surprised her friends did she slow down to a normal pace and tamp her manic grin down to an anticipatory smile.

“Jemma, you know how you insisted that nobody get you anything for your birthday?” she prompted.

“Yes?”

“Well rather than get you something I made a little something for you!” Daisy exclaimed with joy. She motioned Fitz over to join them and set the laptop down where they’d both be able to see it.

“There’s this silly app that became really popular while you were away last summer,” the hacker explained. Her enthusiasm wasn’t dampened in the slightest at the suddenly concerned look Fitz was giving her.

“It’s called Dubsmash, and you basically record video of people singing the lyrics to popular songs and movie clips.”

Fitz cocked his head to the side. “When did you get a chance to..”

“Just today.”

“Erm…” Fitz seemed at a loss for words as he ran a hand down his face once and then caught himself starting to pinch the bridge of his nose and pulled his hand back down. He opened his mouth to say more, but Daisy didn’t give him time to get worked up.

“Check it out!” she exclaimed with flourish as she hit play, popped her hand on her hip and stepped back to watch her friends’ reactions.

The familiar beats of the introduction of the song brought Jemma back to late nights after finals and the Boiler Room and her mind automatically supplied the valley girl voice saying “Oh my God, Becky! Look at her butt…”

As Sir Mix A Lot’s voice picked up and, sang in “I like bit butts and I cannot lie!” the screen showed a flashback to the conversation they were having earlier where Fitz had said “I like big jets but I cannot fly”. Jemma’s jaw dropped and she watched her not-so-secret-crush continue with the rapper’s voice “Them other brothers can’t deny.” She actually squeaked when the song went on, “When a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face,” to the accompaniment of Jemma’s comparison of the drones to flying a manned vehicle.  

The icing on the cake was the look of sincere enthusiasm that Daisy had captured when Fitz defended his drones, saying, “They are fun!” Even though the lip movements didn’t match up well with the song’s lyrics of “you get sprung!”, Fitz’s fired up expression sold it.

“Happy birthday Jemma!!” Daisy exclaimed and hugged her friend.

Clearly the world had gone crazy while she had been away, Jemma mused.

 

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first posted fic! I know DubSmash would look better if the people being recorded were saying the actual words to the song, but I figured rhyming words with similar syllable structure in the sentences would be close enough to let me have fun with the adorable science babies. If anybody runs into Hayley Atwell, the Queen of Dubsmash, please inform her she's created a monster!


End file.
